December 26, 2013 2:24 pm

The Seahawks are 5-for-26 the last two games on third down. Russell Wilson claimed the blame for that today.

“We’ve just got to execute and I’ve got to get better,” Wilson said. “I’ll take the blame for it and I’m excited about that. I love the challenge as always. We look forward to those opportunities. We’ll get it right. I know at one point, we were the best in the National Football League for seven, eight weeks, it isn’t like we haven’t done it before.”

Wilson said one of his main focuses is to “stay poised” and that “sometimes, you just have a bad day.”

“You just got to get ride of those,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to waver. Never have, never will.”

Wilson said he usually gets to the practice facility around 5:45, 5:50 a.m. He was early Monday when arrived at 4:15 a.m.

Wilson said he wants to be the guy who studies the most.

Some quick hits:

> Wilson also said every team tries to keep him in the pocket, so that wasn’t something new from Arizona.

> Sherman on leading the league in interceptions:

“Obviously when you start the season you want to lead the league in picks and passes defended as a cornerback because that will have the biggest impact for your team, and you obviously want to have the best coverage. If you can go out there and make some plays for your team, that’s a goal.”

> Sherman on stopping the Rams on the final play for the win in St. Louis:

“It’s up to our standard to tell you the truth. It just showed us that we could play up to our standard. That when the game is on the line and when our backs are against the wall, literally and figuratively, that we can stand up. I think it gave confidence to some guys, and to other guys it showed what’s possible when you really focus in.”

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Gregg Bell joined The News Tribune in July 2014. Bell had been the director of writing for the University of Washington's athletic department for four years. He was the senior national sports writer in Seattle for The Associated Press from 2005-10, covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season and beyond. He's also been The Sacramento Bee's beat writer on the Oakland Athletics and Raiders. The native of Steubenville, Ohio, is a 1993 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and a 2000 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

I added this on last thread right before this new one started so I thought I’d add it here as well.

Losing last week won’t be the end all. This team has the talent, skill, heart and desire to go further than any Seahawks team before them. Let’s tune up this week and go on a seriously wicked playoff run!

Thanks Danny O’Neil.
“Over the previous nine seasons, there have been 14 teams that entered the playoffs riding a winning streak of five or more regular-season games. Of those 14 teams, none won the Super Bowl. Not one. And not only that, but six of the 14 lost their first playoff game.”

That’s the thing about streaks – statistically speaking, they all HAVE to end. Streaks always worry me at the end of the year, especially with kickers. I was actually relieved a little bit when Hauschka missed a FG finally. I would have hated for the streak to be broken in a playoff game.

So silver lining: RW’s home winning streak ended, the Clink winning streak ended, and Hauschka’s FG streak ended. Just in time to start NEW ones!!

Those days are over. Every game from here on out is a must win. You lose something with a loss now.

So unless these losses were an issue of talent or the actual ability to prepare and game plan properly, they’ve got no reason now not to bring everything. No excuses left. This is it, this is what you get.

Pabs, you gotta flip that. Carolina is not going to lose at Atlanta. (I don’t think SF will lose at Arizona either, much as we think they might because of the outcome of the AZ and SF games last week). However, I do think Carolina might well take out SF in the second round.

You can take mine to the bank because I’m not betting on any of those and if I don’t actually have the courage to bet I’m right 95% of the time.

Glad those streaks did finally end when they did but troubling aspect of the recent games is the lack of the run game and why in the world aren’t the tight ends involved more when there is pressure on RW or the run game just can’t get moving? Other team’s D loads the box to corral RW and hold up the Beast, so why not throw behind the LB’s once Doug, Golden and Kerse have cleared the middle? So much potential with both Miller and Willson, just don’t get it? Keep one in for blocking and cut the otherone loose into a route on a quick slant or 3 step drop, even a TE screen of sorts. Just thinking 95% out loud here – other 5% is crazytalk!

Now that Matt Ryan has a healthy White back the Falcons have a dangerous passing game which is how you beat the Panthers Defense.

The Panthers offense hasn’t been great this year but the thing to watch is that Newton had been Mr Clutch this year. I think it’s a favorable matchup for the Falcons overall.

The Cardinals should have no real issues stopping Crabtree which stops the 49ers Offense. If Palmer’s knee is better they should be able to move the ball. The Falcons and Saints showed the 49ers are susceptible to a good passing game. The Cardinals only home loss this year was to the Seahawks.

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